However, an S10 T5 will not just bolt right on to a V8 bell housing. First, the input shaft is too long. Second, the splines on the input shaft are not cut far enough along the length of the shaft to allow adequate clutch friction disc movement if you shorten the shaft length. So cutting 1/2" off the tip will solve the "too long" problem but create another problem.
Vendors sell adapter plates that back the T5 away from the bell housing about 1/2". This eliminates the need to cut off a portion from the tip of the input shaft. The adapter plate works very well but costs about $160.
Here's a way to avoid using an adapter plate! I hope to discover the person who came up with the idea of using a Jeep T5 shaft in place of the S10 shaft. It's a thing of beauty!
A T5 transmission was also used in Jeeps. So the Jeep shaft I used in the photos below is actually for a Jeep T5 but I will put it in an S10. The final result has many advantages over the adapter plate solution.
1. The Jeep shaft is stronger and thicker than the S10 shaft.
2. The Jeep shaft has 10 splines and I can use my original 10 spline clutch kit. The S10 shaft would require me to find a 14 spline kit for an Astro van.
3. The splines on the Jeep shaft are cut along the length of the shaft far enough that the clutch disc will not bind even after I cut part of the pilot tip off the Jeep shaft.
4. The Jeep shaft and new input bearing and small parts kit will cost much less than an adapter plate. Plus, there's additional savings if you can continue to use your old clutch disc and pressure plate.